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america tonight. >> i'm ali velshi. stoorgt tonight, th"on target" r of twoevils,assadori.s.i.l? the united states, rid russia and others involved in syria's war have agreed to implement a, quote, cessation of hostilities, end quote. that after diplomats met in munich to restart peace talks. sending a hopeful note, staffan de mistura said, quote, sustained delivery of assistance is expected to begin this week to besieged areas where civilians are in desperate need of assistance, end quote. in the meantime the fighting continues and some of the most desperate areas out there are rebel controlled pockets, that are under government seeng. siege. with russian help and air support, tightened a noose around rebel controlled parts of aleppo. the army is close to cutting off the last rebel supply line into syria's largest city. confusingly, the army is also guesting help from syria's kurdish militias which just seized the military base from the russians, which according to secretary of state john kerry will not be part of this cessation of hostilities. confusing or not the momentum in s

america tonight. >> i'm ali velshi. stoorgt tonight, th"on target" r of two evils, assad or i.s.i.l? the united states, rid russia and others involved in syria's war have agreed to implement a, quote, cessation of hostilities, end quote. that after diplomats met in munich to restart peace talks. sending a hopeful note, staffan de mistura said, quote, sustained delivery of assistance is expected to begin this week to besieged areas where civilians are in desperate need of...

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>> this week on "quadriga," war in syria, is putin winning? forces loyaltoassadareon the advance. inroads making major into rebel territory. the battle for aleppo could create facts on the ground ahead of peace talks. a new wave of refugees is fleeing what was once serious second-largest city. another humanitarian catastrophe is looming, and the left keeps struggling to come up with a coherent strategy. 's air campaign tip the balance in the war? from berlin, "quadriga." the international debate. your host, monday crane -- melinda crane. melinda: hello and welcome. what exactly are russia's motives in syria, and what can turn the situation around? that's what we want to talk about today on "quadriga," with three people following events very closely. we welcome a freelance journalist and expert on syrian affairs, who reports regularly on syria. as lies the left doesn't do something about the reasons for flight in syria, including the bombing attacks, it will continue to pay for the humanitarian tragedy putin that -- that within and aside are creating. we welcome alan pozen

>> this week on "quadriga," war in syria, is putin winning? forces loyal to assad are on the advance. inroads making major into rebel territory. the battle for aleppo could create facts on the ground ahead of peace talks. a new wave of refugees is fleeing what was once serious second-largest city. another humanitarian catastrophe is looming, and the left keeps struggling to come up with a coherent strategy. 's air campaign tip the balance in the war? from berlin,...

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assad'scontinuedstrength along with the iranians, along with hezbollah that the iranians have brought in from lebanon, have given the overwhelming majority position to bashar assad, who is not about to leave office with the advantage that he has now attained in the battlefield, to a large degree because of russian airstrikes that were relentless and that have mostly targeted the opposition to bashar assad's rule. and those airstrikes, according to "the washington post," have proved sufficient to push beyond doubt any likely halihood that d will be removed from power. the gains on the ground are also calling into question whether there can be meaningful negotiations to end the conflict assad and his allies now seem convinced they can win. let's go back about four years. bashar assad was about to fall. the president of the united states said that it's not a matter of whether bashar assad will fall; it's a matter of when. all the momentum was on their side. at a senate armed services committee, the secretary of defense -- then leon panetta -- said that the departure of bashar ass

assad's continued strength along with the iranians, along with hezbollah that the iranians have brought in from lebanon, have given the overwhelming majority position to bashar assad, who is not about to leave office with the advantage that he has now attained in the battlefield, to a large degree because of russian airstrikes that were relentless and that have mostly targeted the opposition to bashar assad's rule. and those airstrikes, according to "the washington post," have proved...

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comply with the ceasefire? russia? they have a game plan in syria is to prop up the bashar al-assad regime. they're now also aiding and abetting the bashar al-assad regime in the military campaign. they're responsible for the killing that has happened in the country. u.n., the u.n. said that they cannot enforce a ceasefire. staffan de mistura said as much in closed door meetings. he was asking around who can enforce it. the u.n. cannot enforce it. the u.s. is the natural party who can enforce the ceasefire by putting consequences on the table if case the party does not. unfortunately, the u.s. doesn't seem to be interested in doing that. we are deeply sceptical. there are no guarantees >>> is that true that russia has no interest in making sure its partners stop shooting? >> russia primarily at this point wants to support the bashar al-assad regime. it wants to be sure the bashar al-assad regime captures aleppo. russia would like to be a major factor in whatever international political solution is developed for syria, wants to be a major player, but in terms of the cessation of host

comply with the ceasefire? russia? they have a game plan in syria is to prop up the bashar al-assad regime. they're now also aiding and abetting the bashar al-assad regime in the military campaign. they're responsible for the killing that has happened in the country. u.n., the u.n. said that they cannot enforce a ceasefire. staffan de mistura said as much in closed door meetings. he was asking around who can enforce it. the u.n. cannot enforce it. the u.s. is the natural party who can enforce...

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for a second.hasassadsaidis he in favor of this and allow this. i understand words are one thing and deeds are another. >> he has allowed the first trucks, about a hundred trucks were packed up in damascus, sent out today. he allowed that to happen. and they're getting to about a half dozen communities that have been under seige for quite some time. postally in the areas surrounding damascus, so that has happened and is happening as we speak. but it's not enough to do it once. you have to keep doing it am you have to keep the relief going. >> rose: what are they saying? >> so in the first instance they said we're going along with what was agreed last week. i think in at least that instance the russians have played a helpful role. >> rose: the ceasefire. >> ceasefire, the jury is out. it's complicated. but what's not complicated is this. the russians have to make a decision. they have to make a choice. they can impose on assad his participation in this cessation of hostilities, unfortunately what we've seen at least between the time the agreement was reached and today is instead o

for a second. has assad said is he in favor of this and allow this. i understand words are one thing and deeds are another. >> he has allowed the first trucks, about a hundred trucks were packed up in damascus, sent out today. he allowed that to happen. and they're getting to about a half dozen communities that have been under seige for quite some time. postally in the areas surrounding damascus, so that has happened and is happening as we speak. but it's not enough to do it once. you...

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-assad 3000 to take syria, dealing a blow to a cease-fire deal to the civil war a few hours old. also, pope francis meets the head of the russian orthodox church in cuba, seeking to overcome a 1000-year-old rift between the churches. movie screenings start in earnest on the first full day of her lens international film festival. science fiction, family dramas, tunisian love stories, the latest from the berlin film festival. ♪ >> it is good to have you with us. tonight, syria's president intends to take the whole country from rebel forces. this possibly deals a blow to a cease-fire deal announced earlier today by the u.s. secreary of state john kerry. the deal was reached in munich between the u.s., russia, and more than a dozen other countries. let's go through what it calls for. it calls for a cessation of hostilities to begin in one week. the break in fighting should allow humanitarian aid into areas where it is needed. diplomats also discussed ways of restarting peace talks between the syrian government and the opposition. the future of those talks remains unclear. they were not

-assad 3000 to take syria, dealing a blow to a cease-fire deal to the civil war a few hours old. also, pope francis meets the head of the russian orthodox church in cuba, seeking to overcome a 1000-year-old rift between the churches. movie screenings start in earnest on the first full day of her lens international film festival. science fiction, family dramas, tunisian love stories, the latest from the berlin film festival. ♪ >> it is good to have you with us. tonight, syria's president...

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survivors. russia is being widely blamed. trying to win it back forpresidentassad. >>the hospital is completely destroyed. we report at least seven deaths among the personnel and the patients. at least eight personnel are killed. >> to the north a missile hit a children's hospital and a school apparently sheltering refugees, fleeing from the joint russian offensive. this is meant to be the week hen fighting winds down. tonight, president assad has been on sirenian-state television pouring buckets of very cold water on talk of a ceasefire. a week to prepare is not enough, he said. it means stopping terrorists, strengthening their positions and doesn't mean each side stops using weapons. russia is making clear in this conflict it has no intention of giving up the bombing and see the pattern of its strike, let's ok at a map showing most areas. note the extremists here in red that washington believes are the legitimate targets. russia sees no distinction and hopes president assad can win. so why? russia has its own naval base in syria. partly because putin and former president and pre

survivors. russia is being widely blamed. trying to win it back for president assad. >> the hospital is completely destroyed. we report at least seven deaths among the personnel and the patients. at least eight personnel are killed. >> to the north a missile hit a children's hospital and a school apparently sheltering refugees, fleeing from the joint russian offensive. this is meant to be the week hen fighting winds down. tonight, president assad has been on sirenian-state...

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[ inaudible ] and many other kurdish places. rrm one analysts says cooperationbetweenassadsforcesand the ypg occurs only where both sides happen to be fighting their common enemy, which is isil. though the relationship emphasizes the complex proxy war being fought in syria. >> you have multiple external actors trying to coordinate with partners on the ground who can act as effective proxy forces, but it always underlines the fact you have multiple external actors who have very different objectives of what they are trying to achieve in syria. >> reporter: the cessation of hostilities expected this week, could scarily be more fragile. >> for more on this, let's speak to our correspondent close to the syrian border. how significant of presence are the ypg in northern syria? >> reporter: lauren their presence has become a lot more significant as we heard in paul's report since the emergence of isil there. the important role they are playing is on two fronts. on the one front it is the battle with isil, we saw that in the battle for kobani, just around -- a few months ago -- or more t

[ inaudible ] and many other kurdish places. rrm one analysts says cooperation between assads forces and the ypg occurs only where both sides happen to be fighting their common enemy, which is isil. though the relationship emphasizes the complex proxy war being fought in syria. >> you have multiple external actors trying to coordinate with partners on the ground who can act as effective proxy forces, but it always underlines the fact you have multiple external actors who have very...

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critical of not just russia and iran who have backedtheassadgovernmentbut of the u.s. who in this cartoon is adding sand to an hourglass, in other words buying russia time. what do you think that the americans should be doing? >> since the beginning, started talking, they've been talking since the first day of the revolution. in the beginning, they said that assad lost his -- and he must go. they kept talking, not doing anything. they never acted. mr. obama don act like american visible at all. he just say assad must go, but he did nothing. >> do you think that u.s. troops should go into syria and remove assad? do you think that would solve the problem of your country? >> we wish air strike against he assad to protect civilians. that's what we wish. we are civilians, we are people. -- since the first day of the revolution. america kept claiming that support human democracy but we didn't see nothing that prove that america says from the beginning. >> what do you think is the best case scenario for syria? is it some soft of governance in which different factions can get togethe

critical of not just russia and iran who have backed the assad government but of the u.s. who in this cartoon is adding sand to an hourglass, in other words buying russia time. what do you think that the americans should be doing? >> since the beginning, started talking, they've been talking since the first day of the revolution. in the beginning, they said that assad lost his -- and he must go. they kept talking, not doing anything. they never acted. mr. obama don act like american...

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, provided air support for bashar al-assad. he's now on the verge of retaking aleppo. and what does that say about the russians and what does that say about assad and what does that say about the future of the conflict if assad is much stronger than he was before the russians came in. >> certainly what it says about the russians is they didn't come in to syria to fight i.s.i.l as they said they were going to do. that's not what they have been doing. they have been supporting assad, as you indicate, and thereby fueling the civil war. remember, it's a civil war that on the syrian side gave birth to extremism -- i.s.i.l, al-nusra, and so forth. so the russians are headed in just exactly the wrong direction from the point of view of fighting i.s.i.l and protecting their own interests because they're threatened by i.s.i.l. from a humanitarian point of view, they're being very clumsy here because their actions also have the effect of displacing a lot of people which is one of the reasons why secretary kerry has been so intent on getting humanitarian aid and the flow of humanitarian aid restored to

, provided air support for bashar al-assad. he's now on the verge of retaking aleppo. and what does that say about the russians and what does that say about assad and what does that say about the future of the conflict if assad is much stronger than he was before the russians came in. >> certainly what it says about the russians is they didn't come in to syria to fight i.s.i.l as they said they were going to do. that's not what they have been doing. they have been supporting assad, as you...

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point to what happenedwithassadwithchemical weapons, which was a fang deal and everyone knows it was. the credibility is such that putin keeps pushing the line. how do you balance against having a war with the russians? you challenge them on a financial front but also challenge their -- pat: you're talking economic sanctions. if russia misbehaves, i agree 100%. as for assad, russia is in there backing the legitimate, recognized government of syria. the supporting the en-- enemies are you sis. eleanor: you can still work with putin in that europe but a little display of force in europe where our european allies are begging for it, it's a good idea. john: what moves is president obama taking to bolster europe against russia? are you with me on that? ryan: he's doing what putin wants. because putin is weak at home and that's why he's pushing abroad at the moment. whenever a strong guy is looking weak he needs to find some enemies he can push around to try to rally his county behind him. putting all these military resources against him allows him to prom himself up. pat: people lo

point to what happened with assad with chemical weapons, which was a fang deal and everyone knows it was. the credibility is such that putin keeps pushing the line. how do you balance against having a war with the russians? you challenge them on a financial front but also challenge their -- pat: you're talking economic sanctions. if russia misbehaves, i agree 100%. as for assad, russia is in there backing the legitimate, recognized government of syria. the supporting the en-- enemies are you...

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are acting with the bashar al-assad government and russian agent. kurdish y.p.g. gained ground at the expense of i.s.i.l. they were supported in the push against i.s.i.l., but it has been taking on syrian opposition groups, especially around aleppo. these are pictures from one battle. y.p.g. gaining territories near the turkish border, angering ankara. >> my honourable friend is right the syrian kurds are an important part of the equation, they have to be brought into an enduring solution in syria, but turkey has a problem with links between p.k.k. and syrian kurdish groups. p.k.k. being terrorist groups in turkey and the u.k. there are overlaying conflicts here and the turkish conflict is a major factor. we have seen disturbing evidence of coordination between syria and the russian air force making us uneasy about the kurds role in all of this. >> former leader of the democratic kurdish party sis there's no such evidence. >> no coordination between kurdish forces and the regime. the only coordination is the forces and international coalition starting from the battle battle of kobani,

are acting with the bashar al-assad government and russian agent. kurdish y.p.g. gained ground at the expense of i.s.i.l. they were supported in the push against i.s.i.l., but it has been taking on syrian opposition groups, especially around aleppo. these are pictures from one battle. y.p.g. gaining territories near the turkish border, angering ankara. >> my honourable friend is right the syrian kurds are an important part of the equation, they have to be brought into an enduring...

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warns ally bashar al-assad to tone down his rhetoric to a fight to the end in syria and take the diplomatic route. uganda president set for five years in office but there are arrests and vote rigging allegations. ruling party supporters in south africa a taking to the streets against racism, more than two decades after the end of apartheid plus. >> translator: the person who only thinks about making walls and not bridges is not a christian. >> reporter: pope francis and his stinging review with donald trump's views on immigration. ♪ military experts and diplomates from russia, the u.s. and several other countries are discussing how a ceasefire might be implemented in syria. the meeting in geneva following last week's agreement in munich and they reacted to comments from president bashar al-assad and they will continue fighting until all rebels are defeated and kremlin warning that a difficult situation could arise in assad doesn't follow russia in accepting diplomacy, the u.n. is planning aid drops of humanitarian supplies to the syrian city which is besieged by i.s.i.l. fighte

warns ally bashar al-assad to tone down his rhetoric to a fight to the end in syria and take the diplomatic route. uganda president set for five years in office but there are arrests and vote rigging allegations. ruling party supporters in south africa a taking to the streets against racism, more than two decades after the end of apartheid plus. >> translator: the person who only thinks about making walls and not bridges is not a christian. >> reporter: pope francis and his...

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wanted to do, they provided air support for bashar al-assad. he is now on the verge of retaking aleppo. what does that say about the russians, assad, and the future of the conflict if assad is stronger than he was before the russians. sec. carter: what it says about the russians is that they did not come into syria to fight isil as they said. that is not what they have been doing. they have been supporting assad and fueling the civil war. they gave birth to extremism, isil, al nusra, and so on. the russians are headed in the wrong direction from the point of view of fighting isil and protecting their own interests. from a humanitarian point of view, they are being very clumsy here, because their actions have the effect of displacing a lot of people. that is one of the reasons why secretary kerry has been so intent on getting humanitarian aid restored to that area. the russians who should be working with us to defeat isil, and we would welcome that as i have brought in many countries from around the world to join in the campaign. most recently, saudi arabia who rejoined the air campaign

wanted to do, they provided air support for bashar al-assad. he is now on the verge of retaking aleppo. what does that say about the russians, assad, and the future of the conflict if assad is stronger than he was before the russians. sec. carter: what it says about the russians is that they did not come into syria to fight isil as they said. that is not what they have been doing. they have been supporting assad and fueling the civil war. they gave birth to extremism, isil, al nusra, and so...

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syria but those kurds are our allies and fighting isis. saudis want to bringdownassad. heis a dictator and a benevolent one. i say we want to defeat isis first. >> we're saying that, but the president is keeping his distance. >> it's not clear who turkey hates more -- they seem fine with assad and isis up to a degree. >> i think we could have more influence, because the turkish have before formed these essential compromises with different kurdish groups, including the more hard line groups. >> the turks have told the kurds if you cut off the supply after you. >> this is the key to put pressure on assad and russia and assad -- but the problem at the moment is they're pushing north and slaughtering people. >> they want to win the war. imagine that. >> but the cities are going to join isis, right? >> question, who's calling the shots in syria today? >> russia. >> is it putin or president obama? >> russia has stepped in, has changed the tide. i think our side was approaching its last legs. the iranians has been bleeding in there. the russians came into the air power and really did

syria but those kurds are our allies and fighting isis. saudis want to bring down assad. he is a dictator and a benevolent one. i say we want to defeat isis first. >> we're saying that, but the president is keeping his distance. >> it's not clear who turkey hates more -- they seem fine with assad and isis up to a degree. >> i think we could have more influence, because the turkish have before formed these essential compromises with different kurdish groups, including the more...

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basharalassad'sgovernmentand the rebels back to the table. this does not apply to isis and the al qaeda tied front. also the rare strikes will continue. so, fred, let's talk about the syrian reaction to this. what's their reaction to this agreed upon cessation and is it your feeling or your belief they will abide by this agreement? >> reporter: well, that's going to be the big question. that's certainly at this point in time, the syrian government feels that in the north that they are winning, that they are pushing the rebels back very close to the turkish border. we were so close to the turkish space that we were actually getting turkish cell phone networks. the syrian president bashar al assad gave an interview toods where he said that his goal still is to take back all of syria. let's have a listen. . >>translator: we have fully believed in negotiations and in political action since the beginning of the crisis. however, if we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism. the two tracks are syria, first through negotiations and second through fighting terrorism. a

bashar al assad's government and the rebels back to the table. this does not apply to isis and the al qaeda tied front. also the rare strikes will continue. so, fred, let's talk about the syrian reaction to this. what's their reaction to this agreed upon cessation and is it your feeling or your belief they will abide by this agreement? >> reporter: well, that's going to be the big question. that's certainly at this point in time, the syrian government feels that in the north that they...

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lasting peace while syrian president bashar al-assad remains in power. >> as long as bashar al-assad is there, you cannot stop the war. because of the grievous event that have transpired over the course of the last years. people do not see how someone who has gassed his own people, driven so many of them into refugee status and displaced, tortured them, starved them. barrel bombed them - how he can be the glue that brings the place back together is behind anyone's understanding >>> the u.s. is discussing plan b option, but he didn't specify what options were on the table. and russian's president vladimir putin speaking with bashar al-assad about the truce. rory challands has more. >> moscow and damascus have similar points of view on the prospects of negotiating the syrian crisis. the point of view are not identical. russia essentially had to tell president bashar al-assad to shut up when bashar al-assad said that he was going to carry on fighting and retake the whole of syria. russia said "no, that's not on the agenda, bashar al-assad should take russian leadership on this. and all the

lasting peace while syrian president bashar al-assad remains in power. >> as long as bashar al-assad is there, you cannot stop the war. because of the grievous event that have transpired over the course of the last years. people do not see how someone who has gassed his own people, driven so many of them into refugee status and displaced, tortured them, starved them. barrel bombed them - how he can be the glue that brings the place back together is behind anyone's understanding...

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the next 60 minutes. syria's president despise calls of hostilities. bashar al-assad vows to retake the entire country. >>> doctors protesting egypt after the release of police officers accused of attacking their colleagues. >>> farmer as fury tractor drive to greece's parliament against more austerity measures. >>> the catholic pope meets the russian orthodox patriarch for the first time in more than a millennium. >> given the boot of world's football governing body. those details coming up later in the program. >> hello, syria's president said that their force also retake the whole country. but they said that negotiations are worth pursuing. bashar al-assad's words come as russian airstrikes reportedly killed 26 people. well, the talks in munich world leaders agree to aim for hostility within seven days as well as providing humanitarian assistance. the syrian government and opposition groups have yet to agree, and the groups isil and al nusra front from not loued. the u.s. said in a their arab partners needed to think hard about their actions in syria, saying all sides should nego

the next 60 minutes. syria's president despise calls of hostilities. bashar al-assad vows to retake the entire country. >>> doctors protesting egypt after the release of police officers accused of attacking their colleagues. >>> farmer as fury tractor drive to greece's parliament against more austerity measures. >>> the catholic pope meets the russian orthodox patriarch for the first time in more than a millennium. >> given the boot of world's football...

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minutes we heard from bashar al-assad in an interview, and he is quoted as saying that he will retake the whole country, and says that this could take a long time. what do you make of this? >> reporter: well, it's a very different rhetoric, because just a few months ago, the syrian president, really for the first time, admitted and acknowledged that his army is facing manpower problems. he also acknowledged at the time that the government and the armed forces will be concentrating on securing and protecting what he called the core areas, and we do know what the core areas are for the government, that's damascus, which is the seat of political power. it is the coastal areas, the strong hold of the alawite community, it's homs and that's where most of the fighting has been taking place. but now he is saying we want to take back the whole country. we know how difficult this is going to be. how is he going to hold territory? but clearly the syrian president feeling strengthened emboldened by the support he is receiving from russia. ever since russia intervened in the conflict, the balance

minutes we heard from bashar al-assad in an interview, and he is quoted as saying that he will retake the whole country, and says that this could take a long time. what do you make of this? >> reporter: well, it's a very different rhetoric, because just a few months ago, the syrian president, really for the first time, admitted and acknowledged that his army is facing manpower problems. he also acknowledged at the time that the government and the armed forces will be concentrating on...

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syria against the tyrannyofassad. theydeserve our wholehearted support. which regrettably was not reflected in this resolution. >> reporter: everyone knows there are bound to be violations of this cessation of hostilities. diplomats tell me the best they can hope for is a lull in the violence, and then perhaps, they can persuade the warring parties to resume those talks in geneva. a new date has been set, the 7th of march. jacobs, al jazeera, at the united nations. >> things appear to be calm in syria there is plenty of skepticism that the truce will hold. jamal el shell shaelel has the . >> for a number of reasons primary, becausprimarily, it doe i.s.i.l. or el nusra front. a few hours they said they would not be abiding by it even though they weren't invited to participate anyway. they said this agreement didn't amount to anything other than a spirnconspiracy.a right to use h begs the question if there is indeed a cessation of hostilities why there would be a need for self defense. obviously added to this this cessation of hostilities does not include i.s.i.l. i.s.i.l. is pr

syria against the tyranny of assad. they deserve our wholehearted support. which regrettably was not reflected in this resolution. >> reporter: everyone knows there are bound to be violations of this cessation of hostilities. diplomats tell me the best they can hope for is a lull in the violence, and then perhaps, they can persuade the warring parties to resume those talks in geneva. a new date has been set, the 7th of march. jacobs, al jazeera, at the united nations. >> things...

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to provide air cover for forces loyal to syrian president bashar al-assad. under the agreement hashed out between russian foreign minister sergey lavrov, and secretary of state john kerry, the air strikes will continue but certain groups will no longer be targeted. >> to that end we have also established a task force under the auspic awmps of auspices of. >> reporter: boat sides have agreed that i.s.i.l. and the el nusra front are legitimate targets, having been designated as terrorist groups by the u.n. so any eventually ceasefire will have no effect on the air war. >> there is no fire for us to assess. we've had occasionally strikes on el nusra, those will continue because they are not party to the ceasefire. >> instead has been primary focused on rebel groups opposed tod assad regime. russia insists it's battling terrorists. so a lot rides on who is labeled a terrorist. >> translator: well, if liberation of the city that has been taken by legal armed groups can be qualified as congregation well then, yeah, probably. >> reporter: russia says it welcomes military cooperation o

to provide air cover for forces loyal to syrian president bashar al-assad. under the agreement hashed out between russian foreign minister sergey lavrov, and secretary of state john kerry, the air strikes will continue but certain groups will no longer be targeted. >> to that end we have also established a task force under the auspic awmps of auspices of. >> reporter: boat sides have agreed that i.s.i.l. and the el nusra front are legitimate targets, having been designated as...

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great. some paid with their lives. inside the fault lines between the bashar al-assad government and numerous opposition actions. >> the government propaganda machine has been reforcing military decisiveness. celebrating the losses, and making a larger point. syria is under attack by the outside forces. syria is fighting one of those wars on terror, so-called. >>> on syria's state-controlled media. aleppo and other forces went to areas that are rebel held. carefully taking it. >> the aim is military decisiveness. raising the use over and over again. >> show footbinge by the syrian army. >> they really almost entirely ignored the refugees, it's obvious why. whether there's a battle over territories. that pump or aleppo, this is very much that. it is seen as a nationalist battle territory. they are going aleppo, raising the syria flag. aleppo will return to the home ground. it is what is at stake according to syrian media. this is called an outside power. some media outlets acted as proxies. state funded channels from russia, saudi arabia and qatar have been accused of reflecting patro

great. some paid with their lives. inside the fault lines between the bashar al-assad government and numerous opposition actions. >> the government propaganda machine has been reforcing military decisiveness. celebrating the losses, and making a larger point. syria is under attack by the outside forces. syria is fighting one of those wars on terror, so-called. >>> on syria's state-controlled media. aleppo and other forces went to areas that are rebel held. carefully taking it....

eye24

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table even if the russianandassadmachinesintensified and the result is predictable failure. syria has imploded over the years rather than tackle the problem, the obama administration has sat on its hands paralyzed by a series of what is. today, assad and russian forces have aleppo under siege. they are relentlessly bombing u.s. backed sunni opposition forces that is critical to the fight against isis. just yesterday, lieutenant general stuart, head of the defense intelligence agency warned that isis will attempt attacks on the u.s. homeland, in his words come in 2016. if we are to truly defeat isis, and we must, by half measures in the indecisiveness must stop. i now yield to the ranking member, mr. eliot engel from new york for any opening comments he may have. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman into our witness, welcome to the foreign affairs committee special envoy mcgurk. brad, i've been impressed for many years by your record of service to our country. he done a remarkable achievement work to negotiate the beliefs of five american prisoners held by random nature of the fami

table even if the russian and assad machines intensified and the result is predictable failure. syria has imploded over the years rather than tackle the problem, the obama administration has sat on its hands paralyzed by a series of what is. today, assad and russian forces have aleppo under siege. they are relentlessly bombing u.s. backed sunni opposition forces that is critical to the fight against isis. just yesterday, lieutenant general stuart, head of the defense intelligence agency warned...

eye21

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indroves.assadhasbeen given another lifeline. inacks continue to kill them -- women and children. iraq has also had to rely on shiitemilitary -- loyal militias local -- loyal to iran. gains greaterran influence iraq. region of thee a same grounds that led isis to thrive in the first place. same themes are playing out in libya and yemen. vacuum, in the a absence of real stability, rule of law, and effective government, isis will fill the void. focusing on long-running tensions in these countries will go a long way towards denying isis safe haven. can have a good discussion on how the united states should continue to respond to the threat. how can we suspend the growth of isis, how do we stay one step ahead. sometimes, unfortunately it seems as if we are halfheartedly going after isis, and half hired it heartedly helping the free syrian army and others on the ground. as you know for many years i have been calling on aiding the free syrian army. i believe when they -- we did not aid them, they withered on the vine, and isis moved into the void. i hope that we will be part of a robus

in droves. assad has been given another lifeline. inacks continue to kill them -- women and children. iraq has also had to rely on shiitemilitary -- loyal militias local -- loyal to iran. gains greaterran influence iraq. region of thee a same grounds that led isis to thrive in the first place. same themes are playing out in libya and yemen. vacuum, in the a absence of real stability, rule of law, and effective government, isis will fill the void. focusing on long-running tensions in these...

eye6

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president bashar al-assad at its helm. you cannot stop the war that way. yesterday we made progress advancing to of the main issues. now, immediately, stopping the violence. ceasefire. in the we hours of friday morning we agreed that the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid will begin this weekend. first to the areas where it is most urgently needed and then to all the people throughout the country, particularly in the besieged hard to reach areas and the u.n. has now said that the trucks are loaded ready to go and we also established a task force which has met already for the first time in geneva and we will report regularly on the progress to be able to guarantee the delivery of this aid. the i.s.s. g also agreed to implement a nationwide cessation of hostilities to begin in one week's time. why in a week? why not yesterday? for the simple reason that the modalities have to be worked out and people have to be communicated to in order not to have it start with failure. this will apply to any and all parties in syria with the exception of terrorist organizations d.a.e.s.h. and al-

president bashar al-assad at its helm. you cannot stop the war that way. yesterday we made progress advancing to of the main issues. now, immediately, stopping the violence. ceasefire. in the we hours of friday morning we agreed that the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid will begin this weekend. first to the areas where it is most urgently needed and then to all the people throughout the country, particularly in the besieged hard to reach areas and the u.n. has now said that the trucks...

eye8

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bashar al-assad wanted elections for his rubber-stamp parliament in april. given everything that has happened in syria, there is not a great deal of optimism about the proposed cessation of hostilities, particularly as many observers believe there will be an flees in violence in the days before it starts >>>-- an increase >>> over to our correspondent who is on the turkey-syria border. what we're talking about here in the run-up to friday in the very early hours of saturday must be pretty fragile, even if it does lead to something much more durable. >> reporter: absolutely. with the fact that that cessation of hostility or the agreement excluding al-nusra front and i.s.i.l., which are the most powerful and biggest forces in syria tells you a lot. there is a significant loophole. there are details that need to be ironed out between russia and america. they need to call on the other rebel groups to accept the truce. those groups have three days to do that. the syrian opposition is very sceptical about this whole truce idea. it says that because there is disagreement between russia and

bashar al-assad wanted elections for his rubber-stamp parliament in april. given everything that has happened in syria, there is not a great deal of optimism about the proposed cessation of hostilities, particularly as many observers believe there will be an flees in violence in the days before it starts >>>-- an increase >>> over to our correspondent who is on the turkey-syria border. what we're talking about here in the run-up to friday in the very early hours of saturday...

eye14

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. >> i would assumetheassadregimeand the russians could sufficiently change facts on the ground that the opposition has to co come to the negotiating table. >> it's become clear that the government and the russians and its other allies are negotiating on the battlefield. so you think the government is going to keep trying to do what it can to strengthen its hand? >> absolutely. that's what you do in a war. is try to maximize your facts ton ground and then when and if negotiations come about, you have a greater position of strength. occupying territory is the currency when it comes to pending negotiations. >> that's not what you do when you want a ceasefire? >> well, no. that's the point. everyone kind of sort of wants a ceasefire but they want to win even more. the rebels want a ceasefire but they want assad gone even more. assad wants oceasefire but wants to remain in power even more. those are obviously incompatible goals. >> it would seem fair at least to me, that the opposition would want ceasefire before good faith talks would take place. but the question is when have assad and

. >> i would assume the assad regime and the russians could sufficiently change facts on the ground that the opposition has to co come to the negotiating table. >> it's become clear that the government and the russians and its other allies are negotiating on the battlefield. so you think the government is going to keep trying to do what it can to strengthen its hand? >> absolutely. that's what you do in a war. is try to maximize your facts ton ground and then when and if...

eye36

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. says evidence the kurds are siding withpresidentassadandrussia is, quote, very disturbing. >>> more momentum for donald trump. he celebrates a big win in vegas. >>> iranians head to the polls in key elections. we are live in tehran. all of that, plus -- >>> i'm phil lavelle in los angeles, where we are now days away from the oscars, but it is who and what isn't nominated this year that people are talking about. ♪ >>> so we'll start with syria, there is said to be evidence that kurdish forces are coordinating with the assad government and the russian military. the evidence of such coordination is called, quote, very disturbing. paul brennan has more. >> reporter: syrias complex civil war has become even more complicates by the presence of isil both in syria and iraq, leaving combatants and their backers fighting on multiple fronts. the british foreign secretary has been briefing the parliament. there was extraordinary resellence of kurdish fighters in iraq, but syria is different. >> what we have seen is very disturbing evidence of coordination between syrian kurdish forces, the sy

. says evidence the kurds are siding with president assad and russia is, quote, very disturbing. >>> more momentum for donald trump. he celebrates a big win in vegas. >>> iranians head to the polls in key elections. we are live in tehran. all of that, plus -- >>> i'm phil lavelle in los angeles, where we are now days away from the oscars, but it is who and what isn't nominated this year that people are talking about. ♪ >>> so we'll start with syria, there...

eye6

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basharalassadisforced to step down. injured rebel fighters from the group are often sent to israeli hospitals for treatment. >> israeli military medics treating a syrian fighter. they have brought him to the hospital in northern israel for emergency surgery. around 2,000 syrians have been treated in israeli medical facilities since fighting began four years ago, it's part of an israeli policy to provide medical assistance to armed groups that battle against arch rival hezbollah and other iranian backed fighters that are typically loyal to president bashar al assad. this doctor is one of the main surgeons here. a palestinian israeli, he speaks fluent arabic and has treated hundreds of syrian fighters. >> what they are, who they belong to, it has become something usual. >> he takes us to a ward under armed guard by israeli soldiers. this is where anti assad syrian fighters recover from their injuries. this 22-year-old is part of the free syrian army. he lost his leg in a russian air strike two months ago and has been receiving treatment at the hospital to save his other leg ev

bashar al assad is forced to step down. injured rebel fighters from the group are often sent to israeli hospitals for treatment. >> israeli military medics treating a syrian fighter. they have brought him to the hospital in northern israel for emergency surgery. around 2,000 syrians have been treated in israeli medical facilities since fighting began four years ago, it's part of an israeli policy to provide medical assistance to armed groups that battle against arch rival hezbollah and...

eye14

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come in. the al-nusra front has rejected the truce calling on opponentings ofpresidentassadtointensify their attack. there has been no letup in fighting on the ground. the syrian observatory for human rights says the town of duma in damascus province has been targeted in russian air strikes. rescue workers say at least eight people were killed. government forces were also reported to have struck hama. the goal of the plan is to have a nationwide cessation of hostilities between the syrian government and the opposition. now it specifically excludes isil, al-nusra front, and other groups designated as terrorist organization by the u.n. this allows fighting against those groups to continue. syrian president bashar al-assad says his forces are ready to respect a pause in fighting. and the vast majority of syrian rebel groups said they will take part. but the opposition says the government mustn't exploit the agreement to attack them. let's speak now to jamal live in the turkish town close to the syrian border. jamal it sounds very fragile indeed. we know the al-nusra front, for e

come in. the al-nusra front has rejected the truce calling on opponentings of president assad to intensify their attack. there has been no letup in fighting on the ground. the syrian observatory for human rights says the town of duma in damascus province has been targeted in russian air strikes. rescue workers say at least eight people were killed. government forces were also reported to have struck hama. the goal of the plan is to have a nationwide cessation of hostilities between the syrian...

eye27

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also said that negotiations are worth pursuing. bashar al-assad's words come as word powers discuss the implementation of a cessation of hostilities. despite this diplomacy in germany, the violence continues on the -- ground in syria, russia air strikes are reported to have killed 18 people in homs. 6 people died in air strikes east of damascus, and two more were killed in dara. >> translator: we have fully believed in negotiations since the beginning. however, if we negotiate, it does not mean we stop fighting terrorism. first through negotiations, and second, through fighting terrorism. >> zana hoda is in the turkish city on the border with syria, and she filed this report on the situation on the ground in syria. >> reporter: clearly the syrian president speaking from a position of strength. last july he was described as an embattled leader for the first time in a public address, he made have very rare admission that the army is suffering from a lack of manpower, and the army is now forced to concentrate on the core territories meaning damascus, the heartland of the alawite commun

also said that negotiations are worth pursuing. bashar al-assad's words come as word powers discuss the implementation of a cessation of hostilities. despite this diplomacy in germany, the violence continues on the -- ground in syria, russia air strikes are reported to have killed 18 people in homs. 6 people died in air strikes east of damascus, and two more were killed in dara. >> translator: we have fully believed in negotiations since the beginning. however, if we negotiate, it does...

eye30

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assadregimeand russia as a major power in the middle east and wants to exacerbate the refugee crisis and use it as a weapon. >> reporter: mccain also predicted that the latest pause in fighting in syria brokered by secretary of state john carry is likely to fail. the town of syria garnered recognition for having banners with the chance on war in syria with staunch messages and cartoons posted daily on social media and ferris is a syrian activist who joins me via skype from syria and what has been going on in your town and four months ago you wrote a piece of russian air strikes striking your town and has that continued and what is life for you and your family? >> they are continuing what they started since the three or four months and they keep shelling and air striking the whole area of the countryside and they are claiming they are targeting the i.s.i.s. or al-nusra or terrorism group and i.s.i.s. is like 100 kilometers away from here but they keep targeting the school and hospitals and everywhere. today two hours ago they targeted a hospital, belongs to very close to kilometers an

assad regime and russia as a major power in the middle east and wants to exacerbate the refugee crisis and use it as a weapon. >> reporter: mccain also predicted that the latest pause in fighting in syria brokered by secretary of state john carry is likely to fail. the town of syria garnered recognition for having banners with the chance on war in syria with staunch messages and cartoons posted daily on social media and ferris is a syrian activist who joins me via skype from syria and...

eye11

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under terrorist control --underassadcontrolor under terrorist control. >> strong words from the turkish prime minister. over the weekend in northern syria, the turkish army began shelling syrian kurdish fighters after they seized an airbase north of aleppo. how does that fit into everything? >> basically, you have got a between territory kurdish-controlled northwestern syria and isis-controlled central northwestern syria, a territory that has been held by non-kurdish rebels. now they are being defeated. government,an backed by russian aircraft, have been advancing into that strip. so the kurds have thought they should take what they can get before it falls into syrian government's hands, so they took the town of azaz and took the manaa airbase to turkish artillery began shelling on saturday and continued on sunday. today, on a plane to kiev, turkish reporters were told that the turkish itinerary forced the syrian kurds to withdraw from veaz, and if they did not lea that airbase, turkish artillery would render it unusable. he said, we are warning the syrian kurds, if they do not

under terrorist control -- under assad control or under terrorist control. >> strong words from the turkish prime minister. over the weekend in northern syria, the turkish army began shelling syrian kurdish fighters after they seized an airbase north of aleppo. how does that fit into everything? >> basically, you have got a between territory kurdish-controlled northwestern syria and isis-controlled central northwestern syria, a territory that has been held by non-kurdish rebels....

eye9

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diplomacy for vladimir putin. first of all, he spoke with president bashar al-assad. remember a few days ago assad said that he wanted to carry on fighting in syria to retake the whole country. russia was forced to tell him to shut up. it does seem now that bashar al-assad, at least on paper, is pledging commit to the u.s.-russian brokered cease-fire. after that they spoke with the saudi arabian king, president rouhani, this all seems to be to the united states and the middle east region that russia is a power broker and a force to be reckoned with. you get a real sense of cautious optimism coming out of the kremlin right now. i think they believe that they're on the cusp of achieving two of their main goals. the first one, of course, is to shore up president bashar al-assad and prevent him from some chaotic collapse. but the second goal was to convince the united states that russia is essentially an equal partner and needs to be treated with due respect in the middle east. >> well, as we mentioned there have been claims that the wpg, the syrian kurdish fighters have been acting in coord

diplomacy for vladimir putin. first of all, he spoke with president bashar al-assad. remember a few days ago assad said that he wanted to carry on fighting in syria to retake the whole country. russia was forced to tell him to shut up. it does seem now that bashar al-assad, at least on paper, is pledging commit to the u.s.-russian brokered cease-fire. after that they spoke with the saudi arabian king, president rouhani, this all seems to be to the united states and the middle east region that...

eye23

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tax -- plus, is the american taxpayer supportingtheassadregime?also the latest on the new york city crane collapse and, oh, yeah, we're live from san francisco at the site of super bowl 50. we're also, by the way, less than one hour to the closing bell. i'm ashley webster in for liz claman this afternoon, let's start the "countdown." ♪ ♪ ashley: well, my, oh, my, volatility is the name of the game for the first week of in february, in fact, for the whole year. seeing the 27th session of triple-digit moves for the dow. the nasdaq getting hit hard, down as you can see over 3%, down 3.3%. the so-called fang stocks, shall we? be we're going to talk about those. facebook, amazon, netflix, alpha pet -- google's parent company -- all falling especially hard in today's tech selloff. these momentum darlings were huge winners last year, but today they're getting beaten up. oil, meantime, settling at $30.89, down 2.6% on the day, off about 83 cents. not great, but as you can see, u.s. oil companies also going right along with the price of oil, all moving lower. look at conocophillips,

tax -- plus, is the american taxpayer supporting the assad regime? also the latest on the new york city crane collapse and, oh, yeah, we're live from san francisco at the site of super bowl 50. we're also, by the way, less than one hour to the closing bell. i'm ashley webster in for liz claman this afternoon, let's start the "countdown." ♪ ♪ ashley: well, my, oh, my, volatility is the name of the game for the first week of in february, in fact, for the whole year. seeing the 27th...